I recently heard a Science Friday segment in which email was referred to as “clunky,“ “ancient,“ and “decades old.“ That from Ellis Hamburger, a reporter for The Verge, talking about email management (App Chat: Cutting Clutter From Your Inbox >). Hamburger went on to say you could use Facebook Messenger instead, to which you can add pictures or sound and get rid of 10 emails in the process.
Interesting world we occupy now, where people want to write less but still say something; but perhaps that shouldn't surprise us; we want to lose weight without exercising, get rich without working, or comprehend without reading.
I know that wasn't Hamburger’s intent, but presenting email as an anachronism immediately frames the discussion around popular obsolescence, not utility, and I’m pretty sure that was his intent.
If you love words, email can actually be a rewarding place to spend time; folks like me navigate through words just as easily as others do through pictures or movies. But the converse is also true, and that is why there are places like Pinterest (the appeal of which still eludes me).
There is no single information solution for everyone, and there are many clunky and ancient ones that are still useful. (I doubt you will find any office without pencils and Post-it® Notes).
If you’re not a word person, that’s cool, but don’t patronize a beautiful technology because the sheen has dulled a bit.
[2014-01-03]
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Smaller and smaller devices only enable a growing segment that doesn't want to talk or type but still wants to be understood.
[2014-01-03]
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